Category: Reading
-
Reading News Building Facade
Read more: Reading News Building FacadeThe Reading News building and its facade were constructed in 1912 for a brand new print publication at 22-24 North Fifth Street. In April 1912 the property, described as a three-story dwelling house, was purchased by local developer Wiliam A. Sharp. It is likely that Sharp was in charge of developing the structure into one…
-
Nolde and Horst Knitting Mill
Read more: Nolde and Horst Knitting MillTextile was Reading and greater Berks County’s largest industry by the turn of the 20th century. Nearly every small community had some sort of hosiery mill, and headquartered in Reading was Nolde and Horst, the largest of them all. Three German immigrants, Jacob Nolde, George and John Horst chartered “Nolde and Horst Company” with the…
-
City Park Fallout Shelter
Read more: City Park Fallout ShelterReading’s City Park Fallout Shelter has long been the subject of mystery. The shelter’s entrance is located along Constitution Boulevard, directly next to the city’s greenhouse. The doors have been locked tight for the past few decades. A relic of an era when the ever present threat of nuclear annihilation swept our nation; perhaps you…
-
Reading Terror Bombings of 1973
Read more: Reading Terror Bombings of 1973In my ever present quest to determine whether the good old days were really all that good, I came across this heinous story about a string of hand-made explosives which were placed in the 6th ward section of Reading in 1973. For some context it is important to remember that Reading was demographically changing during…
-
Reading Pagoda – History, Present & Future
Read more: Reading Pagoda – History, Present & FutureFor nearly 120 years the Pagoda has served as a beacon to generations of us who have called Reading and greater Berks County home. What is its story? How does such a unique Japanese structure end up on a mountain in Pennsylvania? What’s happening now? You have likely noticed the building has been closed and…
-
Bushong’s Dam Set to be Razed
Read more: Bushong’s Dam Set to be RazedOn January 13th, 2025 it was announced by Reading’s City Council that the bid had been awarded to demolish Bushong’s Dam, which sits along the Tulpehocken Creek just before the confluence with the Schuylkill River. The removal project is nearly two decades in the making, and is one of many dam removal projects completed in…
-
McGinty Motorcars
Read more: McGinty MotorcarsBack in October Pat McGinty of McGinty Motorcars was kind enough to give me a tour of his building at 1041-43 Washington Street in Reading. The structure sits on the east end of Washington near the foot of City Park. In 1882 the deed for this property was transfered to a George Schroeder, who died…
-
Blind Hartman’s Tavern
Read more: Blind Hartman’s TavernBlind Hartman’s Tavern was established in 1822 by Jacob Hartman on Pricetown Road in Alsace Township. Hartman was blinded in 1786 at age four while he was playing with his baby brother when the child grasped an awl, and playfully jabbed it into Hartman’s eye, resulting in total blindness in both. This tragedy didn’t appear…
-
The Stewart School: A Legacy of Coeducation
Read more: The Stewart School: A Legacy of CoeducationThis article originally appeared in the Spring 2023 edition of the Historical Review. The roots of Reading High School can be traced to the formation of the all-boys Reading Academy in 1852. A female equivalent public school was founded in 1857. By 1859 both sexes were consolidated in one classroom under one principal, Joseph Valentine,…
-
Peter Wanner Mansion – Fraught by Failure
Read more: Peter Wanner Mansion – Fraught by FailureThe Peter Wanner Mansion sits at the very east end of Walnut Street in Reading, at the base of Mount Penn. The Victorian mansion was designed by Edward K. Mull and built in 1889 for Peter D. Wanner. Wanner was born on a farm near Kutztown in 1840. Despite his humble roots Wanner was driven…
